This invention relates to ambidextrous shoulder holsters for pistols and more particularly to a shoulder holster having unique features making it easily convertible from right hand to left hand use.
Applicant's assignor has, in the past produced a shoulder holster which is somewhat similar to that described herein in that the holster itself is constructed of heavy duty nylon, the shoulder straps are adjustable to fit the wearer (by means of snaps posts or slides) and the holster includes a thumb break member attached to one side and a safety strap attached to the other side. These members are secured to the holster using a combination of a slide member of a synthetic elastomer and Velcro.RTM. fastening means and are reversible to change from right hand to left hand operation. This arrangement was not entirely satisfactory because the slide members, although providing reasonable resistance to shear forces tending to pull out the thumb break member or the safety strap, added an undesirable thickness to the holster, adversely affecting comfort of the wearer. Also adjusting the straps to fit the wearer by means of the conventional screw posts or snaps or slides was inconvenient and somewhat time consuming. Screw post or snap shoulder straps require the wearer to position the rig at fixed limited intervals. Sliders, although very adjustable, leave tail areas hanging.
Since a dealer would normally fit the shoulder holster to a customer, the time factor in fitting the harness and in converting from left hand to right hand operation may have a direct bearing on the costs relating to a sale. And having a convenient ambidextrous design would, of course, reduce the dealer's required inventory. Thus he might carry four sizes of a given model, but if he did not have to carry both right and left handed versions, it would reduce the inventory by half. There is thus a need for an improved ambidextrous shoulder holster providing less thickness and therefore more comfort to the wearer, in which the conversion from right hand to left hand operation is simplified and in which the adjustment of the harness to fit the wearer may more readily and quickly be accomplished.